By John F. Wasik, Contributor
April 3, 2023
If you’re like me, it drives me nuts when I get a letter from the IRS stating there was something wrong on my tax return.
I use a professional preparer, so I don’t have trouble most years, but there are things to know to avoid trouble, according to the IRS;
- Wait to file until you receive all of your proper tax documents, or you risk making a mistake that could cause delays.
- Review your income documents carefully. If any of the information is inaccurate or missing, taxpayers should contact the payer right away for a correction or to ensure the issuer has their current mailing or email address.
- Creating an IRS Online Account can help you securely access information about your federal tax account, including payments, tax records and more.
- Organized tax records make preparing a complete and accurate tax return easier and may help taxpayers find overlooked deductions or credits .
- Taxpayers with an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number or ITIN may need to renew it if it's expired and is needed on a U.S. federal tax return. If they don't renew an expiring or expired ITIN, the IRS can still accept their return, but it may delay processing or credits owed.
- The IRS Interactive Tax Assistant helps taxpayers find answers tax questions based on their specific circumstances. Taxpayers can use it to determine if they must file a tax return, their filing status, if they can claim a dependent, if the type of income they have is taxable, if they're eligible to claim a credit or if they can deduct expenses.
- IRS Tax Topics contain general individual and business tax information. If taxpayers don't find the answers to their question, they can check Frequently Asked Questions .
When it comes to dealing with the IRS, keep in mind the Boy Scout motto: “Be Prepared.” This advice works most of the time.
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